this is "world news." and tonight, go time. the president, the governor, the first debate. the pressure is on. and we have the inside story. what each man is planning to do tonight. suspicious skies. yet another american airlines emergency landing. impatient passengers are doubting their pilots. >> this scenario that they created or was it real? outbreak. peanut butter and salmonella. tonight, a patient takes you hour by hour through the illness. >> i really didn't know what was happening to me and i was like, praying. >> how to know if you have the flu or something else. and, anyone got chills? ♪ i got chills ♪ they're multiplying

>> did you know this is the most popular duet in history? see what these two are getting ready to do, next. good evening. as we come on the air, president obama and governor romney are preparing for the super bowl of politics. 60 million americans expected to watch the first debate tonight. and it is one of those nights that can change history. we want to show you the stage, right now, at the university of denver in colorado. it is standing by, awaiting the candidates. 34 days until your voice, your vote. and the abc news political team is right there in that room. david muir and jake tapper, ready for the opening round to begin. so, david, start us off. >> reporter: diane, good evening from the debate hall here at the university of denver. you can see the stage behind me.

everything planned right down to the minute tonight. president obama will enter from the right. the governor from massachusetts, governor romney entering from the left. to give you an idea of the setting here, about 1,000 people inside this debate hall, when it starts. look behind the cameras tonight. we're inside a hockey arena that normally seats 8,000 but they've created this intimate setting as tens of millions watch from their living rooms tonight. when president obama and mitt romney walk onto that stage tonight, it will be the first time they've met face to face in four years. last time, during the presidential race in 2008, during those back-to-back democratic and republican presidential debates during the primaries when candidates from both sides were called on the stage, it was senator obama and governor romney talking. the president congratulated romney when he clinched the republican nomination and this moment in 2007, a labor day parade in 2007. >> good luck to you today. >> reporter: but tonight, they will shake hands in front of millions watching, before debating each other for the

first time. in a format that is more free wheeling, no strict time limits for answers. creating an environment in which the two will be able to challenge one another. every detail here set for tonight, both campaigns flipping a coin. the president will be introduced first, he'll get the first question. the romney campaign winning the toss on closing arguments. governor romney will get the final word tonight. even a coin toss over the wives. mrs. romney will be introduced first. both wives playing the role of debate partner. mrs. romney telling cnn it's been her most important role during the campaign. >> it's a cute thing that he does, almost after every answer. he finds me in the audience. the first thing he does on stage, he takes off his watch, he puts it on the podium. but then he writes "dad." >> reporter: romney's father, who also ran for president. and the first lady acknowledging her own nerves. >> i get so nervous at these debates, and, i'm like one of those parents watching their kid on the balance beam. you just are standing there, trying not to, you know, have any expression at all.

>> reporter: advice that comes on the same day they mark something else. >> this is from me to you, honey, happy 20th anniversary. >> reporter: they will likely mark their anniversary with a private dinner after the e the bait tonight. sasha and malia back in washington, they have school tomorrow. several of the romney boys will be here. and we took this image today, tweeted it out. look at this. the debate prep you don't see. "wet paint" the sign up on the stage in the last 24 hours. we checked it out for you before we came on tonight. the sign is down, everything is ready to go. >> painters frantically painting. thank you so much, david. as you know well from covering the campaign, these two men are by definition built to withstand pressure. each known as a formidable debater. but tonight, it will be pressure like no other. they have to bring their a-games. and abc's jake tapper now tells us about each candidate's biggest move. jake? >> reporter: good evening, diane. that's right. these are two very experienced

debaters, with more than 50 presidential primary and general election debates between them. though they have their weaknesses, they both have considerable strengths. as president obama touched down in denver, he brought the experience of 22 previous president debates, primary and general election with him. we've seen him draw upon his command in being able to make a bold pledge. >> if we have osama bin laden in our sights, and the pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then i think that we have to act and we will take them out. >> reporter: and we've seen him tap his reservoir of righteousness to make a strong attack. >> you said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. you were wrong. you said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. you were wrong. >> reporter: tonight will be mitt romney's 36th presidential debate. though his first as nominee. his team is hoping he'll show the agility we've seen him display. >> if people are looking for

someone who will discriminate against gays, they won't find that in me. >> when is the last time you stood up and spoke out for increasing gay rights? >> right now. >> reporter: as well as his ability to jujitsu, to forcefully use an attack against his attacker. >> mr. speaker, i'm not an anti-immigrant. my father was born in mexico. my wife's father was born in wales. they came to this country, the idea that i'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. >> reporter: and diane, take a look at this picture that the obama campaign sent out. it is from four years ago, in oxford, mississippi, then senator obama preparing for his first presidential debate against john mccain. both candidates right now, mitt romney and barack obama, no doubt, very nervous. i'm nervous, just looking at that picture. diane? >> okay, jake. i will see you tonight for the big event. and i want to bring in co-anchor of "good morning america" and anchor of "this week," my co-anchor tonight, george stephanopoulos.

such a night after this long road. what are these two men thinking right now? >> reporter: probably exactly the same thing. tonight, don't take the other guy's bait. play your game. but there is more pressure on mitt romney tonight. you look at the polls right now, he's behind nationally, probably behind even more in the battleground statements. he needs a circuit breaker and he probably has to do something that gives people that say right now they're voting for the president, to give him a second look. >> give all of us a viewer's guide to what they are prepped to do. >> reporter: watch for almost every time mitt romney gets a question, he will try to turn it back to president obama's record. and make president obama bear responsibility for the economy right now, not let him evade it. mirror image for president obama. every time he gets a question, he's going to try to focus on mitt romney's plans, governor romney's plans for the future and say, listen, we may not be in the best shape right now, but it's going to be even worse if we implement his plans. >> each of them will be pivoting? >> reporter: each time. here's the thing. both sides don't really know what's going to happen tonight, because, as david pointed out,

this format is so loose. once they get into the discussion, almost anything can happen. they could directly challenge ch other. jim lehrer could directly challenge them. but they really don't know. >> it is going to be such an exciting night. and a reminder that george and i will be right here with you and the abc news team, ready to react and analyze and fact check. one-on-one, the candidates debate, 9:00 p.m.astern, 6:00 central. and we move on now on "world news" because we have two developing stories from overseas. tonight in syria, the city of aleppo, their new york city, four car bombs killed nearly 40 people. eyewitnesses describe what felt like a series of earthquakes, giant buildings flattened. and here, a square before and after, you can see there, reduced to rubble. and, in iran, something we rarely see. clashes in the streets of tehran, as hundreds of protesters take on their own government. outraged over the collapse of the iranian currency.

it's taken a nose dive in the past week, down 40%. and that is a record low. and that is proof, economists say, that tough sanctions by the u.s. government, because of iran's nuclear program, are taking hold. and now, we turn to a headline that sounded impossible to us today. word of yet another american airlines flight forced to land. passengers bracing for impact. in the end, the landing gear came down, but some suspicious passengers are telling us they actually wonder if pilots and other employees are negotiating their labor disputes from 30,000 feet. abc's senior national correspondent jim avila put that question to a pilot who believes in his former airline. >> reporter: the dallas operations center where american airlines struggles to manage delays twice as severe as its competitors and one airborne emergency after another. >> emergency at this time. we're coming back into dallas. >> reporter: nerve wracking for

some passengers, now suspicious that each new delay, each new crisis may be somehow self-induced. >> are they really heroes or are they guys just creating a job action? >> reporter: former american airlines pilot john carr says pilots would not go that far. but it's clear, he says, that despite union denials, pilots are using their ultimate power to delay flights. >> you know, you have a very complex machine that's being operated and there is always going to be some little thing or something that's not quite right. >> reporter: if true, a tactic that seems to be working for pilots. today, union and company back to the bargaining table for the first time in months. jim avila, abc news, washington. and now, the peanut butter recall. so many families still asking us, if your family has eaten peanut butter, how do you know when you're out of the woods, when can you stop worrying? and what exactly are the

symptoms? how do they progress? tonight, for the first time, a parent whose child was sickened by tainted peanut butter speaks >> reporter: 8-year-old nate says it felt like he was going to die, all because he ate out of a jar of peanut butter his father bought from a trader joe's grocery store. >> it felt very painful. the stomach cramps, i was screaming loud and i was saying, why does this happen to me? >> reporter: he's one of 30 confirmed salmonella victims so far. families should know that symptoms show up usually within three days. i was a terrible scare and started saturday. first, painful stomach cramps. then, a severe headache. a 103 degree fever. by monday morning, he was vomiting. he but now bleeding. doctors couldn't figure it out. on wednesday, he had to be hospitalized. his fever didn't break until friday. and he was already home when the

test results came back the following tuesday. salmonel salmonella, a linked strain to tainted peanut butter. howe you by this? >> this is our child, our baby. i don't think any parent wants to be in the position. >> i thought it was good for you. i've been eating peanut butter, before i got sick, almost all -- >> every day. >> reporter: which he never thought would hurt. steve osunsami, abc news, rocky mount, north carolina. and still ahead right here on "world news," can you guess how this family could should their key to america's big comeback? and, by the way, it was made in america. not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity.

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they have a big surprise for you, too. >> made in america. made in america. made in america. and guess where they are? 1,120 miles south of the usry family, in mexico. antonio, sandra, carlos and tony jr., apart of mexico's new middle class. >> this is my son's favorite peanut better. >> reporter: so, what is behind mexico's love affair with all things american? >> when i see made in america, i'm thinking big. what do you think? >> quality. i think quality. >> quality and big. >> reporter: a generation ago, 12% of mexico's population was middle class. most were in poverty. today, over half are considered middle class. that's more than 70 million strong. and they're scooping up american-made products. $198 billion worth just last year. doubling in just a decade. 6 million american jobs are tied to feeding that market. a market that loves that american produce, because it's bigger -- >> look at the size of the

grapes, the quality is very good. >> reporter: our batteries, they last longer. and the variety of all our beauty products. this is my favorite american product and you have to get it. >> reporter: and, we noticed this at the costco in mexico city. family after family picking up american-made baby wipes. they are the top-receiving product here. but what was so special about those wipes? the mexican brand was cheaper. so, we went to the factory in oran oran orangeburg, new york, to find out. >> a typical product on the shelf in mexico is very weak, i mean, it hardly stays together. this is the costco product. incredibly strong. everything about this product is way better than what is current it will available in the mexican market. >> reporter: which is way the campos family keys buying american. they shared their shopping list with the usry family. >> looks just like our list. >> reporter: two families, 1,000 miles apart, with a shared appreciation for three little words. >> made in america!

>> reporter: and the company that makes those baby wipes, they hired 250 new empyees and are opening a new factory in arkansas. again, 6 million jobs in the u.s. now tied with trade to mexico and that number is expected to grow. >> and 70 million in their middle class, ready to buy. okay, great, sharyn, thank you so much. and coming up right here, did you know this was the most popular duet of all time? ♪ oh oh oh honey >> well, john travolta and olivia newton john have a second act tonight. we'll tell you about it. me quit. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these

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new nectresse. sweetness naturally. and now, a video tonight that got us all talking. it's the vatican, and thousands of the faithful are gathered outside st. peter's basilica. but look closely. hanging from the dome, a man, protesting the tough austerity cuts in italy. he's even taking cell phone calls from his perch. he dodged security and while on the observation deck, hopped the railing and scaled down the 420-foot high wall. and, there are two people in the news tonight. danny and sandy. did you know their song from "grease" became the best-receiving duet in history? ♪ i got chills ♪ they're multiplying ♪ and i'm losing control ♪ cause the power you're supplying ♪

it's electrifying ♪ >> john travolta and who can forget a transformed olivia newton john. ♪ you better shape up ♪ cause i need a man ♪ and my heart is set on you >> well, there's news about that song we've all sung in front of the mirror tonight. "you're the one that i want." ♪ you're the one that i want >> 34 years later, olivia newton john sent travolta said, why not a sequel? and today, an announcement. it's going to happen. a new christmas album of songs, including a brand new duet to follow up their classic hit. this time, presumably wearing mid-life clothes. and, coming up here next, the candidates debate tonight, but the comedians pounce tomorrow. and the they will not pull tomorrow. and the they will not pull punches. doctr job,ant your the pitch!

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impressions, the jokes. and abc's jon karl spokes us the perils. >> i can't, the third one, i can't. sorry. oops. >> reporter: some debate moments just don't need late-night comedians to be memorable. for the rest, there's "saturday night live." >> let me just sum up. on track. stay the course. 1,000 points of light. >> governor dukakis rebuttal. >> i can't believe i'm losing to this guy. >> reporter: over the years, the "snl" parodies have been more memorable sometimes than the debates themselves. >> can i call you joe? >> of course. >> okay, because i cpracticed a couple of zingers where i call you joe. >> reporter: when you think of palin facing off against biden, you're probably more likely to think of this. >> john mccain and i, we're a couple of mavericks. and gosh darn it, we're going to take that maverick energy right to washington and we're going to use it to fix this financial crisis. >> reporter: the real al gore

was so stiff in his first debate -- >> i will put medicare and social security in a lockbox. >> reporter: -- his staff made him watch this. >> one of the keys to the lockbox would be kept by the president. >> reporter: the real john mccain wandered around the stage when he debated obama, and so did "snl's" campaign. the parodies aren't just funny. they can matter. >> that's what makes it so powerful. >> reporter: after all, how can the real debate compete with something like this? >> i know the white house. i know the door out to the rose garden doesn't lock unless you pull it. i know the toilet in the lincoln bedroom will run all night unless you jiggle that handle. >> reporter: jonathan karl, abc news, washington. >> you got to jiggle it. >> and we thank you for watching "world news" tonight. watch our abc news/yahoo live

stream on abcnews.com. our anniversary of our partnership with yahoo. and george and i and the whole team will be right here, join us, at 9:00 p.m. eastern for this big debate. we'll see you then.